Indonesia-Australia Pioneer AI Project in Yogyakarta, Prepares Young Generation to Become Technology Creators

This article was previously published in TribunJogja.com with the title Indonesia-Australia Pioneer AI Project in Yogyakarta.

It has been translated into English by Trellis Data.

Prepares Young Generation to Become Technology Creators

Writer: Hanif Suryo | Editor: Yoseph Hary W

The Indonesia-Australia cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has entered a new phase. Following up on the Indonesia Investment Roundtable held at KPMG Sydney in February 2025, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) through the Australia Bilateral Committee, in collaboration with Kadin of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, held a Roundtable & Luncheon titled "Creating Job Opportunities for Yogyakarta and Indonesian Youth in the AI Industry" in Yogyakarta on Monday (25/8/2025).

The event featured Kadin Indonesia's partner in the Australia Bilateral Committee, Mr. Eamonn Fitzpatrick, CEO of Fitzpatrick Advisors & Co, and Mr. Michael Gately, an Australian AI expert and CEO of Trellis Data Ltd, an Artificial Intelligence and Critical Technology company based in Canberra, Australia. Moreover, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta was also scheduled to send a representative, as well as the Indonesian Consulate in Australia.

The dialogue focused on how Artificial Intelligence technology can develop as an industry that can create massive job opportunities for Indonesia's young generation. The challenge for the national economy is to ensure that technological advancements do not reduce job opportunities, but instead open up new spaces for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The commitment to Indonesia-Australia cooperation was previously reaffirmed in a meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Jakarta in May 2025, which renewed the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). One of the strategic sectors in future cooperation is investment in the AI sector in Indonesia.

Through this dialogue, it is hoped that the Special Region of Yogyakarta can fill and utilise the opportunities that will be outlined in the IA-CEPA 2.0, especially as a centre for human resource development and the national AI ecosystem.

Eamonn Fitzpatrick, Managing Director of Fitzpatrick & Go Advisory, emphasised the vast opportunities for building a cross-country AI ecosystem.

"We are an Australian company that works closely with many partners in Indonesia, and is also close to the government in both countries. Our mission is simple: to bring the Australian-Indonesian business world closer together. There is a great opportunity this moment to unite the good things we can do together," he said. Fitzpatrick stated that this forum is not just a networking event, but also prepares for concrete projects through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with universities and institutions in Yogyakarta.

"Today, we are present with one of the world's leaders in AI, Michael Gately. He is here to sign several MoUs. Together, we are taking the next step: building something that is truly the first in the world—large-scale AI capabilities based on spoken language that have no match elsewhere," said Fitzpatrick.

"We believe that the two countries best suited to partner in achieving this are Australia and Indonesia. We have long been close partners; there are many agreements in place, from free trade, and defence, to technology. We know that one of the critical industries in the next phase of the trade agreement is critical technology, including AI. That's why we're here," he added.

On the corporate side, the Australian technology company Trellis Data Ltd is ready to partner with campuses and institutions in Yogyakarta. Michael Gately, CEO of Trellis Data, stated that the project focuses on spoken language AI.

"The opportunity we have now is to build large-scale speech models. We want to develop local talent, build intellectual capacity, and bring intellectual property to Indonesia to create spoken language AI technology that can cover hundreds of languages," he said.

According to Gately, this approach expands access to AI for groups that have not been served before.

"This is a very significant experience, and the Indonesian people are very suitable to take on this task," he said.